Robyne, Could I suggest that the controversy arose from the long-held perception that an assigned person (ie a convicted criminal) shouldn't benefit from his position, and certainly not more than a free person performing the same role. This ties in with Don Bradmore's recent query regarding convicts "being on their own hands" (ie working for their own benefit outside the "system"). [see the message immediately above yours in the AUS-TASMANIA Digest, Vol 9, Issue 124] While on a purely individual basis, Macbeth was merely rewarding a diligent and capable worker, to the outsider, these considerations would be over-ruled by the concept that a convict shouldn't be elevated above a free man in any way. No matter what their skills and attributes, convicts were regarded as the dregs of society, and Tasmanian society did its very best to maintain that discrimination. The few individuals who managed to rise above it had special skills and attributes (eg architects, artists, and a few clergymen) or were members of the British upper-class who had gone astray. -- Regards Mike Hurburgh --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com