The octant has an ebony frame and limb with a brass index arm, fittings, and a brass stop for the index arm. It also has inlaid ivory plates on the crossbar and on the back of the frame. There is no tangent screw and the clamping screw, which is missing, was located on the back of the index arm. The socket shades are missing and the frame is damaged at the socket. Index-glass adjustment is made by a screw and on the horizon glass by a lever, wing nut and a clamping screw, which is missing.. The red copper sight vane is a replacement. A pencil or screwdriver is missing from the crossbar. The octant has no box.

The instrument has an inlaid ivory scale from -3° to 98° by 20 arcminutes, measuring to 90°. The octant has an ivory vernier measuring to 1 arcminute, with zero at the right.