On 4 April 1868, at about the same time Huggins was completing his paper on stellar motion in the line of sight, he received a visit from Howard Grubb (1844–1931). Son – and now partner – of engineer and telescope maker Thomas Grubb, young Howard had spent the last two years supervising the construction of the Great Melbourne telescope, a state-of-the-art instrument for studying nebulae in the southern sky. Its construction had been commissioned by the Royal Society on behalf of, and with funds provided by, the state of Victoria, Australia. Recently completed, the monumental 4-ft Cassegrain would soon be bound for Melbourne.

Accompanying Grubb on his visit was astronomer Albert Adolphus Adalbert LeSueur (1849–1906), who had observed the figuring of the mirrors and would be assisting in the instrument's operation at the University of Melbourne's observatory. Huggins took great pride in showing his observatory to guests like these, who knew and appreciated not only the fine quality of his instruments, but the skill required to put them to good use.