Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That in every county in this State, where any deaf mute shall reside, who is a white person over the age of eight and under the age of twenty years and not physically or mentally imbecile, it shall be the duty of the Justices of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of such County, to levy and cause to be collected within the same a tax of seventy-five dollars annually, for the term of four years, for the maintenance and education of every such deaf mute within said county, at the State institution in Raleigh; and in case of the neglect or failure of such Justices to lay such tax, after being informed of the case of such deaf mute in their county, or the failure of the sheriff to collect and pay ever the same to the Treasurer within twelve months from the time of receiving such information, they or he shall he liable to indictment and punishment, as for the neglect of any other public duty appertaining to their official station: Provided, that this regulation shall not apply to any deaf mute who has, or whose parents have sufficient estate to pay the amount aforesaid from their own means, or whose parents shall refuse to permit them to be sent to said institution; nor shall any county be required to make provision for more than five deaf mute pupils at one time.

Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That the President and Directors of the Literary Fund, in compliance with the
foregoing regulation, shall direct the Superintendent of the aforesaid institution in the City of Raleigh to receive all pupils of the description aforesaid, who may apply for admission; and if the authorities of any county as aforesaid shall fail to pay its contingent as required by this Act for the term of twelve months after the admission of its pupil or pupils as aforesaid, it shall be the duty of the said President and Directors to pay the same out of the Literary Fund and deduct the amount so paid from the next distributive share of said county for the support of Common Schools; which said amount shall be refunded to said County when collected and paid by the same as herein before required.

Ratified 29th day of January, 1849.

Charles Manly, Governor
Robert B. Gilliam, Speaker of the House of Commons
Calvin Graves, Speaker of the Senate

Office of the Secretary of State, April 1849.

I, William Hill, Secretary of State in and for the State of North Carolina,
do hereby certify that the Acts and Resolutions contained in this Pamphlet
are true copies of the original Acts and Resolutions passed by the General
Assembly of this State, at its late session.

William Hill, Secretary of State