AN ENGLISH OXIDISED BRASS SEXTANTHEATH AND COMPANY LIMITED, LONDON, SECOND QUARTER OF THE 20th CENTURYThe 7 inch triple-ring pierced frame with pivoted arm mounted with mirror opposing hinged aperture for reading the silvered inset silvered Vernier scale incorporating screw micrometer adjustment to left hand side and inscribed RAPID-READER over trade plate 'HEZZANITH' AUTOMATIC TANGENT SCREW, AUTOMATIC CLAMP, PATENT, the edge of the scale plate beneath further inscribed HEATH & Co. NEW ELTHAM, LONDON S.E.9, the angles applied with two sets of hinged filters and horizon mirror opposing brass sighting tube, the rear with wooden grip, the mahogany box with paper test certificate issued by The 'Hezzanith' Instrument Works, LONDON annotated with performance results for the instrument reference B89 to the interior of the lid, the exterior with carrying handle to front, together with a late Victorian Scottish oxidised and patinated brass monocular microscope with telescopic eyepiece and twin nosepiece to body tube, and fine-screw focus to the top of the cylindrical limb, above rectangular stage with slide clips and subs-stage condenser assembly incorporating adjustable iris aperture, mounted via a knuckle pivot onto further squat column applied to a Y-shaped platform foot engraved J. LIZARS, OPTICIAN, GLASGOW, No. 106 to rear, in original mahogany box with two objective cannisters labelled 1/6in and 1in together with another by Leitz, (2).The sextant box 14cm (5.5ins) high, 28cm (11ins) wide; the microscope box 31.5cm (12.5ins) high, 19cm (7.5ins) wide, 16.5cm (6.5ins) deep.The firm of Heath and Company was founded in 1845 by George Heath in Erith, Kent. He specialised in supplying instruments to the maritime trade as was succeeded by his sons Frederick Thomas and George William on his death in 1872. By 1900 the firm had expanded to become one of the most prolific manufacturers of nautical and surveying instruments and had adopted the `Hezzanith` trade name; in 1926 the business was amalgamated with W.F. Stanley of London.The optician John Lizars (1810-1879) set-up business as an optical instrument maker in Glasgow in 1830. After his death his successors continued making eyeglasses, telescopes, microscopes, barometers, thermometers, magic lanterns and slides, cameras, stereo cameras and viewers and binoculars. By 1913 had branches in Edinburgh, Paisley, Greenock, Aberdeen, Liverpool and Belfast, latterly the company merged with C. Jeffrey Black to form the Black and Lizars chain of optical retailers.