I love when a country does a stamp about the old explorers, because there are always stories of danger and adventure involved in the discoveries. For Edward John Eyre danger came during his land expedition to Albany in Western Australia. For George Vancouver, trouble came for him on the streets of London, in retirement, from members of his old ships crew. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This is a very well done stamp. However the stamp issue might have benefited from being a two stamp issue. The stamp was printed connected to a souvenir sheet that may included more about Eyre and Vancouver. but this stamp entered my collection without that.
Todays stamp is issue A434, a $1.05 stamp issued by Australia on September 26th, 1991. It was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1.25 used. Still attached to the souvenir sheet, the value goes to $2.25. Overprinted for a Tokyo stamp show, you are up to $7.50.
George Vancouver entered the Royal Navy of Britain at age 13 as a “young gentleman”. He served as a young midshipman on several of the voyages of Captain Cook. In 1791 comanding two ships HMS Chatham and a new HMS Discovery. He sailed around Cape Town to Australia, where he landed near Albany at a place called Possession Point where he formally claimed Western Australia for Great Britain. He went on to New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii and on to his more famous work to North Americans mapping the northwest coast, often on a small boat with ours. He liberally named places he found after Naval associates but that did not make him popular with all his crew.
After the several year expedition, Vancouver retired to London. He then began to be constantly harassed by people that served with him. Naturalist and connected rich guy Archibald Menzies could not get over that his man servant had been pressed into ship service during a shipboard emergency. The ships Astronomer Joseph Whitbey did not think he had fully paid for his service and that Vancouver did not work hard enough to get his money for him. You would have though naming Whitbey Island for him would have been enough. The worst trouble came from Thomas Pitt, the 2nd Baron Camelford. Pitt had received several punishments for infractions at sea and was eventually sent home in disgrace. In Vancouver’s retirement, he was jumped on the street near his house and caned by Pitt. Vancouver was in and out of court about the incident for the rest of his life.
Edward John Eyre made a fortune driving 1000 sheep and 600 head of cattle from Monaro to Adelaide. With his fortune he began self funding overland expeditions. His third expedition was with John Baxter and 3 Aborigine guides to be the first to reach Albany by land. He woke up one day to find Baxter murdered and 2 of the Aborigine gone with all the supplies. One guide named Wylie stayed and they continued. They would not have survived if they had not been spotted by a French Wailing ship with a British Captain who replenished their supplies. In proper explorer style, The ship’s Captain got Rossiter Bay named for him. This was Eyre’s last expedition but he enjoyed a comfortable retirement having sold a lucrative memoir.
Well my drink is empty and stuck at home I may have another. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.