The octant has an ebony frame and limb with a black-lacquered brass index arm, fittings, and a wooden handle. It also has an inlaid ivory plate on the crossbar. The tangent screw and clamping screw are located on the back of the index arm. The octant 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 milled knob, a lever, worm gear and a milled clamping screw. Attached to the octant is a threaded telescope bracket without adjustment and a swivelling sight vane with one pinhole. The telescope is 82 mm in length with an erect image. One foot of the frame is a replacement. The octant is contained in a wooden keytone box, with a trade label in the lid for John Bliss and Co, 110 Wall Street, near South Street, New York.

The instrument has an inlaid ivory scale from -4° to 107° by 20 arcminutes, measuring to 92°. The octant has an ivory vernier measuring to 30 arcseconds, with zero at the right.