Watch List notes:

Handmade "cat of nine tails" with copy of House of Representatives 1848 list of seamen, their offenses, and the number of "lashes with cats." 335 grams, 46" long. A fearsome nine-tailed rope instrument of torture used in the British and US Navies, our example in original well-preserved condition. Book accompanying it is extremely interesting for its lists of infractions requiring "lashes with cats," such as the ship's cook receiving twelve lashes for bad cooking or a seaman robbing a church, being lousy or beastly drunk. With photo-certificate, pedigreed to our Auction #22 (lot #1520).
($600-900)