Finding Franklin's Relics

Even today, the Canadian North can appear remote and forbidding. The last four explorers in the Exploration stamp series traversed lands and waters where few now dare to venture. In 1845, after a long career as a naval officer, and two previous expeditions to the Canadian North, Franklin set sail in search of the famed Northwest Passage. Franklin left England with two ships, enough supplies to last three years, and 129 men. They all perished. Lead poisoning caused by tinned food weakened the crews, and ultimately led to their premature death. Nevertheless, many feel Franklin had, indeed, discovered the Northwest Passage before he died. Frederick Hagan of Newmarket, Ontario, created these four stamps, the last in the series on the Exploration of Canada. Maps of the voyages of exploration are highlighted and some of the salient features of the expeditions are shown to give a feeling for the harshness of the conditions endured by the explorers.