Administration in the twilight of the kingdom: Saint-Hilaire’s records

Abstract

This essay aims to analyze the structure and operation of the public management of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, related to the diamond extraction industry through the texts of Saint-Hilaire, French botanist and naturalist. Saint-Hilaire visited and toured Brazil in 1817 in a journey throughout the country’s interior offering detailed information on Brazil’s organizational structure, operations management structure, the public management processes, and the management of human resources, finances, and contracts. The analysis of Saint-Hilaire’s reports revealed a high degree of control, the slaves’ work conditions, and the rigid social stratification of Brazil in the early 19th century. The essay concludes that Saint-Hilaire presented a deep and detailed description of the diamond extraction operation, offering a valuable contribution to the studies of the beginning of Brazil as an independent nation.

Keywords:
administrative history; extractive industry; diamond cycle management