The Growth of Bureaucracy in Brazil, 1808–1821
In late November of 1807 the Portuguese government was loaded on to a fleet of naval and merchant vessels, transported across the South Atlantic and deposited in Rio de Janeiro.1 On board were fourteen members of the Royal Family; the Counsellors of State; ministers; Justices of the Court of Appeals and the High Court; the upper echelons of the army and navy; the hierarchy of the church; a full quota of high society; a respectable contingent of the professional, scientific, literary, artistic and business elements; a horde of bureaucrats; and as many rank and file citizens as could secure passage. Also on board were the contents of the royal treasury; the store of diamonds derived from the crown monopoly; silver plate, jewels, books, cash and other portable assets; furnishings for a royal chapel; the royal library; a printing press; and a mass of government records. When John, the Prince Regent, set up shop in Rio de Janeiro, he had readily available the personnel and the files of a bureaucracy for the administration of a national state.2 The bureaucracy was abundantly supplied with candidates. The personnel 3 who accompanied the Court were augmented by a flow of emigres 4 which continued unabated as long as the Court remained in Rio. Many of both groups looked to the Crown for support. In some instances the Court