A really exceptional mid 18th C. Hadley quadrant, with ivory maker's plate signed "Charles Woods of St. Eustacious, 1761." This monster measures 21 inches high with limbs of ebony -- one of the earliest known examples to incorporate the exotic black wood in frame construction. Three very important revolutionary and transitional features are: A flat brass index arm instead of wood, an early form of vernier scale divided on the vertical edge of the crab claw marked "Minutes," and a solid brass diagonally divided scale with a second vertical scale below, all riveted over a boxwood arc! Note that the ends of the arc still retain their characteristic ogee embellishments -- a carryover from traditional backstaff construction. (Private Collection. Photo West Sea Co.)