Clemency of Canning
Also called: The Clemency of Canning · Topic: The Revolt of 1857 · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Rebels and the Raj"
Meaning
"The Clemency of Canning" is a cartoon from the British magazine Punch, published on 24 October 1857. Clemency means mercy. Governor-General Canning had asked for some restraint in punishing rebels. The cartoon shows him as a large, fatherly figure with his hand on the head of a sepoy who still holds a dripping sword and dagger. It made fun of his mercy at a time when the British public wanted revenge, and Canning was mocked as "Clemency Canning".
Example
In October 1857, British anger over Kanpur was at its height. This cartoon told readers that pardoning sepoys meant protecting killers.
Don't confuse with
- "The British Lion's Vengeance on the Bengal Tiger": this Punch cartoon praised revenge, while "The Clemency of Canning" mocked mercy.
- Queen Victoria's proclamation (1858): it was an official promise of non-interference in religion, not a cartoon.
Related concepts
- Relief of Lucknow
- Colin Campbell
- James Outram
- Henry Havelock
- Sikandar Bagh
- In Memoriam painting
- Punch
- British Lion's Vengeance on the Bengal Tiger
- Blowing from guns
- Felice Beato