This intricately designed brass instrument (height 6.5 in.) consists of a mounting plate and a staff socket connected by a universal ball joint. A worm screw rotates an internal gear which in turn exerts pressure on a leather gasket, thus fixing the ball in place. Decorative set screws also fix the mount in position. This mount was likely used to affix a plane table, transit, circumferenter, or other similar surverying device to a tripod stand.

Related Images:
Universal Mount-assembled
Universal Mount-disassembled & clean

A brass sight for a surveying device was found 3 ft. from the pivotal mount, and the two pieces may have came from the same instrument. The sight (height 6 in.) is slotted twice for rough and pinpoint aiming, and the larger slot (1.8 x 0.4in.) is bracketed by two holes that would have held a crosshair. A set-screw attaches the sight to an index that is broken at a threaded fastener hole. When intact, the index would have held a second sight with opposing slots

Pivotal mounts and sights like those found on the QAR can be seen on a variety of instruments dating from the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. M. Bion, the Chief Instrument-Maker to the King of France during the early part of the eighteenth century, published a manuscript describing and illustrating several surverying instruments that feature similar pivotal mounts and vertical sights to those recovered from the shipwreck.

A brass sector (length closed 5.1 in., open 9.4 in.) features two logarithmically scaled arms joined at a pivotal hinge. Although no numbers are present, recessed dots or needle holes in sets of two, three, or four bracket some of theline spaces. A line of English inches (2.54 cm) occurs on the inside edge of one arm, while the back edge when opened is divided evenly into eight French inches (2.75 cm); the first block of both scales is further divided into 12 increments. A small set pin ensures that the arms line up when the instrument is closed. When used with a pair of compasses, the sector enabled problems involving proportions to be solved instrumentally.

Logarithmic scales occur on three of the four faces of a brass bar (8.6 x 0.3 x 0.2 in.) surmounted by decorative finials on either end. The zero points are staggered, though all are numbered in fifths; two from 0-24, and the third from 0-60. The only identification mark is in the form of a six pointed star stamped near the end of the bar. Outwardly this artifact resembles several known instruments: gunner's tally sticks and daggers used to calculate shot and bore diameters, or Bunter's scale (c. 1623) which compares lines of numbers (0-10), sine (0-90), and tangent (0-45). However, this artifact is not an exact match to any of them and may represent an altogether different instrument.

A flat, brass key-like object pierced at one end (length 1.4 in.) may prove to be an identification tag for a surverying chain. Surverying chains typically consisted of steel links 1 ft. in length. Each fifth, sixth, or tenth link was marked with a pin or tag held in place by a small steel link.

A rolled brass tube (length 6.8 in., diameter 0.2 to 0.4 in.) has so far avoided identification. A square brass rod was soldered to the tube along the seam, and although the identity or function of this object is unknown, it resembles a rough sight for a telescope or theodolite (see surveying instruments).

Navigational instruments from the QAR include a set of dividers (length 4.2 in.) nearly identical to a pair recovered from the pirate ship Whydah Galley. Although the steel needles held in slots at the ends of the arms are now missing, the dividers are in remarkable condition and still operate at the pivotal hinge. Dividers were one of the essential tools used by navigators for determining positions on charts.

A lead sounding weight (length 16.9 in.) engraved XXI (21 lbs.) was one of the first artifacts recovered from the site in 1996. This instrument was attached to a line and used to determine water depth and bottom consistency. Two smaller lead weights (14 and 19 0z.), both carved with a bladed tool, were found in 1998. Though similar to fishing weights, both of these artifacts feature hollowed out bottoms typical of most sounding weights, and may well have been used to determine depth and bottom characteristics in shallow water. There is also the possibility that these weights were used as counter-balances for scales, or plumb bobs for surverying instruments.

A urethral syringe (length 6.3 in.) with its curved funnel tip was used to administer mercury for the treatment of venereal diseases. Analysis of the residue recovered from the interior of the syringe does in fact show a low concentration of mercury. The ring on the plunger of the syringe features a mark consisting of the letter P below inter-locked rings and a crown. A second mark is indecipherable but looks something like the letter P beneath two sets of columns and a crown.