Vtge British Military ROSS, LONDON Engineers Surveyor Abney Hand Sighting Level

Description

Here we have a
Vintage, British Military, ROSS, LONDON Engineer Surveyor BRASS Abney Hand Sighting Level.
Andrew Ross was one of the best-known instrument makers in makers in London, England.  He specialized in microscopes.  Ross began business in 1830 and collaborated with J.J. Lister (1786-1869), inventor of a new design for achromatic lenses for the microscope. Both Ross and Lister were the founding members of the Microscopical Society of London (later the Royal Microscopical Society). Ross introduced a number of improvements to design of microscopes, and his last model won first place in the Great Exhibition of 1851.  His name is marked on the side of this instrument along with the Broad Arrow logo.  The Broad Arrow is the most recognizable British (and Commonwealth) military mark and easily the most frequently encountered. It is a stylized representation of a metal arrowhead, comprising a tang and two barbs meeting at a point. It is a symbol used traditionally in heraldry, most notably in England, and later by the British government to mark government property. It became particularly associated with the Board of Ordnance, and later the War Department and the Ministry of Defense.  This therefore means that this sighting level was probably made under contract for the British government.  The instrument is in very good used condition with a nice aged patina.  The small magnifying glass has no cracks.  And the small spirit bubble vial is intact
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The calibration marks are still strong.  The instrument is approx. 5-1/2" long.
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