Franklin's work from his second expedition would later earn him a knighthood. Ironically, the very success of the expedition may have contributed to the decline of Franklin's career as an Arctic explorer. While it added greatly to the general geographical knowledge about Arctic lands, the report of an otherwise uneventful trip made poor reading. After a number of voyages, the Admiralty seemed no closer to capturing either of the ultimate prizes - the Pole or the North West Passage. With public interest in the Arctic on the wane the Admiralty found its interest falling off as well. When Franklin returned from his second expedition the Navy had nothing to offer him, let alone an Arctic command. When he was finally offered something in 1830, it was only command of a Mediterranean frigate. When that assignment ended in 1833, Franklin's career seemed to be taking him further away from the Arctic than ever. In 1836 he accepted a post as governor of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), a penal colony off the coast of Australia. He lasted six years, then tangled with the colonial bureaucracy which governed the island. It was a contest Franklin could not win. Franklin crossed the colonial secretary, Captain John Montagu, by reinstating a surgeon who Montagu had tried to have dismissed. When Franklin suspended Montagu, Montagu not only got the local press to attack Franklin, but also traveled to England to argue his case before the government. Despite Franklin's reputation, Montagu was persuasive enough to win over Lord Stanley, the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Lord Stanley not only offered Montagu another position but also issued an official criticism of Franklin. London decided Franklin had to be replaced. Adding insult to injury, Franklin first learned of the decision from press reports rather than from the Colonial Office itself. He returned to England in January 1844 with the feeling that he had been wronged and with a determination to restore his honor.
Few in England outside the Colonial Office cared what went on in far-off Tasmania. Nevertheless Franklin published a pamphlet defending his actions. Few read it and the pamphlet's publication brought him no satisfaction. Franklin however had returned at an opportune time. There was renewed interest in exploration. It was the Antarctic, rather than the Arctic, which was the reason. In 1839 James Clark Ross had taken two ships, the Erebus and Terror, to the Antarctic. He had returned in 1843. The expedition was considered a scientific success - Ross was the first to see the coast of Antarctica. Success brought both renewed public interest in exploration and renewed confidence on the part of the Admiralty. Unfortunately, confidence grew into overconfidence. Still looking for a public relations coup, the Admiralty was convinced the North West Passage could now be found quickly - and with very little effort. Plans for another expedition moved swiftly from idea to proposal to preparation. A proposal was ready by December 1844. The expedition was to sail the following spring. Franklin, in the meantime, had been doing some political maneuvering. Command of the expedition which would discover the Passage would be the crowning achievement of a career. More importantly for Franklin, it was the opportunity to restore his reputation. Tragically, Franklin's political tactics were successful and he was offered the command.
Part of the tragedy can be explained by the Navy's somewhat ambiguous goals - and by its unrealistic assessment of the dangers. If it had been serious about exploration, the North West Passage would not have been the goal and Franklin would not have been chosen as the leader. He was nearly sixty years old and overweight. But discovery of the Passage was almost secondary to the public relations bonanza the Admiralty would reap from the discovery itself. If public relations was the goal, then Franklin was the obvious choice. Who better to make the discovery than the popular hero of Arctic exploration. So long as success was virtually assured, Franklin was the favorite. And success seemed likely. Nearly all expeditions had returned safely. Even though Franklin's first expedition provided evidence of the dangers, Franklin himself had somehow managed to overcome the odds.
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