Vibrational spectroscopic study of the contents of a chest excavated from the wreck of the HMS Pandora

The FT-IR and Raman spectroscopic analysis of a red powder found in a chest from an officer's cabin during the excavation of the wreck of the 18th Century frigate HMS Pandora have confirmed that the pigment is cinnabar, mercury(II) sulphide. Weaker signals in the Raman spectrum are assignable to a proteinaceous material, such as collagen, typical of a degraded vellum or parchment. Comparison of the Raman spectra with that of a pigmented seal from a 1786 Lieutenant's commission demonstrated that the beeswax component of the seal was not observable.