College of Santo Thomas, which is in charge of the Order of St. Dominic. The college is called Santo Thomas de Aquino.  It is in charge of the Order of St. Dominic, and is very near their convent.  For two years it has had collegiates.  It was founded by the alms of deceased persons and by other contributions from the living, which the fathers have procured and collected.  It has some income and is continuing to increase.  At present it also has twenty collegiates who wear the beca, some of whom also pay their tuition, and others are supported by the Confraternity of La Misericordia and certain persons.  They take lectures in grammar, philosophy, and theology in the same college, where they have a rector and masters belonging to the Order of St. Dominic.

These two colleges aggrandize the city greatly and the sons of the inhabitants of these islands are being reared in them in culture, virtue, and learning.  It will be of the utmost importance to the city’s progress for your Majesty to honor them by granting them authority to give degrees in the branches that they teach.

Seminary of Santa Potenciana. Many years ago the seminary of Santa Potenciana was founded in this city at your Majesty’s command, in order to maintain in it poor girls, both Spaniards and mestizas, who being reared there in a safe retreat and under good teaching might leave it virtuous, and as such be sought as wives.  It has been supported hitherto by an income of one thousand pesos that it possesses, and with eight hundred pesos which is about the value of an encomienda granted it by your Majesty, besides three toneladas of the cargo given it annually by allotment in the ships despatched hence to Nueva Espana, and certain alms bequeathed to it by certain dying persons.  For some few years past the seminary has been greatly in debt, both because of increasing the number of their girls, and because the toneladas of the cargo have had no value, and on account of the greatly increased cost of living; and it is suffering so great need that it has not enough for the ordinary maintenance of the fifty girls who are there at present, some of whom are aided by the Confraternity of La Misericordia.  It will be advisable, since the work is so consecrated to the service of God and so suitable to that of your Majesty, whose royal person is patron of that seminary, for you to order the governor to aid it from the royal treasury, or—­and this would be more secure—­apportion to it more Indians, so that a work so holy and necessary in this community may continue to advance, since it is served by slave women and has never been served by Spanish women.  It is certain that if this retreat, from which the girls go out married, were to fail, they would perish and be lost.