Edmund Wheeler was specialised in top quality microscope slides
and was not a microscope manufacturer; it can be assumed that this microscope
was made for him by a leading maker of the time. This instrument has a Y-shaped
foot, fixed to mahogany base plate, that supports the limb by trunnions.
Coarse focus is by a prismatic rackwork inside the limb that raises the
arm carrying the body tube; fine focus is on the nosepiece and acts by a
lever with a knurled knob. The stage has a square top plate with one clip.
Below, a three holes circular diaphragm slides in the cylindrical support.
The one-side mirror is fixed to a collar that slides over the lower limb.
The optical system includes three unsigned objectives with canisters signed
respectively i, ii, iii, probably done later, and an eyepiece. Other accessories
are a bull's eye condenser, stage forceps, and live box. There are seven
slides and their titles and condition are as follows: Elm (good and complete),
Hair of Sloth (complete but wear to paper label), Grain D'Alyse (end broken),
Untitled (good condition, appears to be a seed), Rattan Cane (broken and
taped together), Cellula Tipsula Plant (good), Silk (chip to one corner).
The original mahogany box has the key and the handle.
