It seems to me adviseable that you all should know, as far as may be, what property you will have after your mother & my deaths. After due deliberation it seems to me fit not to give sons & daughters equal shares. My father left his property as 12 for Boys to 6 for girls, & this was approved of by M^r Salt, a very sagacious solicitor.¹ Your grandfather J. Wedgwood, left as 12 Boys to 8 girls, & this is the scale adopted by M^r. Norman.—² I have taken an intermediate scale of 12 to 7. Your mother’s property is divided equally between boys & girls, & so has been your Aunt Catherine’s.³ William⁴ estimates my own property (including Erasmus’ share, & Land)⁵ at £282,000 excluding £35,000 trust. According to the scale of 12 to 7, & including your mothers property & that from Aunt Catherine, each of my sons will have about £53,000, & each daughter about £34,000. The current prices, on which my property has been valued by William yield between 3$\frac{1}{2}$ & 3$\frac{3}{4}$ per cent.

Lastly I have resolved to divide at once Erasmus’ property in accordance with the above scale of 12 to 7. This property, (excluding the land near Lincoln & the house in Q. Anne St, which I keep for myself)⁶ is valued by William at £76,250.

I shall continue to divide the overplus of my income as before, but on the scale of 12 to 7.⁷ I shall however, probably give away more for scientific purposes, so that a less sum will probably be divided amongst you.—

Charles Darwin