328

Circa 1856

BURT'S EQUATORIAL SEXTANT

By William Jones Young (American, 1800-1870). Inscribed "Patent applied for by Wm.A.Burt #5". Based on a design by William Burt (American, 1792-1858), this complex navigational instrument is known as a "reflecting" equatorial sextant, with a brass 10½" diameter vertical meridian circle supporting the "solar sextant" mechanism within. A latitude circle rides within the meridian circle, adjusted by clamp and tangent screw, and carries the hour angle ring with its canted silver scale and vernier, clamp and fine motion, and linkage to the sextant. The sextant itself is mounted on a horizontal azimuth circle, and is equipped with two mirrors, two filters, peep sight, auxiliary telescope, and solar declination adjustment to the horizon mirror. There are inlaid silver scales and one-arc-minute silver verniers, plus two removable index arms for calibration. Complete with adjustable stand with rotation clamp and tangent screw and original mahogany carrying case.
Height 14". Width 11.5". Diameter of circle 10.5".

  • Provenance:
    Tesseract, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, 1994.
    The Kelton Collection of Marine Art & Artifacts.

    Notes:
    Only seven equatorial sextants are believed to have been made, and three of these, all made by Young, are the "reflecting" style. William Burt provided them to Lt. Matthew Fontaine Maury of the U.S. Navy for evaluation in 1856. Maury purchased them April 21, 1856 for $200 each. One was given to the U.S. Naval Academy and two to the Naval Observatory in 1893. The Naval Observatory states their records indicate they disposed of the instruments in 1898, but one is still recorded at the Naval Academy. This instrument is believed to be the last of the three William Young examples.

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February 24, 2022 9:30 AM EST
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