The reflecting circle consists of a circular anodized brass frame, with two wooden handles. A detached U-shaped bracket holds a third handle with a brass-lined threaded hole for a fourth handle. 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 index shades, two red and one green, and three horizon shades, two red and one green. Index- and horizon-glass adjustment is made by screws.

Accompanying the circle is a detached magnifier on a swivelling arm, which is now missing. 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. All telescopes and other parts are missing. The instrument has no box.

The instrument has a bronzed limb with an inlaid silver scale indicated from 180° to 0° to 180°, although the entire scale is divided by 20 arcseconds. The circle has three silver verniers measuring to 20 arcminutes, with the zeros at the left.

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