The reflecting circle consists of a circular polished brass frame, with a wooden handle that is cracked. A detached U-shaped bracket holds a second handle with a brass-lined threaded hole for a third handle. A fourth handle, which is possibly taken from another instrument, can be screwed in the front of the frame. The instrument has three rigidly connected index arms on the back of the frame, and a double-ended tangent screw and clamping screw on the back of one of the arms. It has three shades, two red and one green, and three horizon shades, two red and one green. Index-glass adjustment is made by a screw and on the horizon-glass by a screw and a capstan screw.

Attached to the circle is a magnifier on a 228mm arm, swivelling at its centre and serving all three verniers. Accompanying the instrument is a detached second magnifier, with its lenses missing, on a 75mm swivelling arm for use on each of the verniers separately. There is also a threaded telescope bracket in two parts, fitted for correcting collimation error. It has perpendicular adjustment made by a rising-piece and a milled collar. The telescope is 68 mm in length with an inverted image and two parallel cross wires. An extra drawtube is 78 mm long with two parallel cross wires. A second telescope is 76 mm long with an erect image. The sight-tube is 131 mm long. An adjusting pin is missing.

The instrument has a polished brass limb with inlaid silver scale from 160° to 0° to 160°, although the entire scale is divided by 20 arcminutes. The reflecting circle has three silver verniers measuring to 20 arcseconds, with the zeros at the left.

The reflecting circle is contained in a square fitted wooden box.

The U-shaped bracket was recommended by Mendoza Rios, and according to him first applied by Troughton.