My Dear Father,

Thank you for your letter, it is just as well to know what one has to look forward to. All I can say is that I do’nt believe there is one father in five hundred thousand, who starting with what you did, would leave his sons as well off as you will us boys. If the profits of the Bank at all keep up to £500 a year I shall be able to save considerably, so that beside the £5000 I may consider I get great advantage out of Claythorpe Farm.²

I have already made my will, I did so on becoming Aunt Catherine’s executor; & I had a clause to include landed property put in; but I will see that it is all right³   I have left everything straight back to you as the simplest plan. I am going to Claythorpe on the 27^th or 28^th. & shall sleep at Uncle Ras’s where I hope you may all be.⁴

My love to Mama & Hen.⁵ | Your affect son | W. E. Darwin

Uncle Ras will send you a transfer for signature; as Uncle Langton expressed a wish to have his £1000 for Edmund in this stock, I thought none of the legatees would object in his case.⁶

M^r Salt wants to know whether you would like a Mortgage of £15,000 at 4 per Cent, on Mr Childe’s estate, as H. Parker has called up D^r Darwin’s mortgage of that amount⁷   I should have thought you ought to get 4$\frac{1}{4}$ now a days