The octant has an ebony frame and limb with a brass index arm, fittings, and stop for the index arm. There is an inlaid ivory plate on the crossbar and inlaid decorative ivory diamond-shaped pieces in both struts, one piece of which is missing. There is no tangent screw, and the clamping screw is on the back of the index arm. The octant has two red socket shades. Index-glass adjustment is made by a screw and on both horizon glasses by levers, wing nuts, and milled clamping screws. The sight vane has two pinholes and a swivelling shutter, whereas the back sight vane has one pinhole. The octagon has no box.

The instrument has an inlaid ivory scale in two sections (joined at 45°, damaged) from -5° to 95° by 20 arcminutes, measuring to 91°.The octant has an ivory vernier measuring to 1 arcminute, with zero at the centre.

Elias De La Rue may have been an owner; his name is not recorded in Clifton, Directory.