THE ARRIVAL OF THE PORTUGUESE ROYAL FAMILY IN BRAZIL

Thomas O'Neil's "The Coming of the Portuguese Royal Family to Brazil" is a precious little book published in London in 1810. It has only now been published in Brazil by Editora José Olympio, a Brazilian edition translated from a copy in José Mindlin's library. It is a detailed and vivid account of a journey that, in the author's words, was planned "due to the brutal and implacable spirit of dominion that took hold of the demonic mind of the world's archenemy, Bonaparte." From boarding at the Belém pier to the arrival and stay in Rio de Janeiro, the text does not neglect descriptions of the landscapes and people who welcomed King John VI and his court. The book presents details about the empire in Rio de Janeiro, the only city in the world outside Europe to have such a form of government. It explores all the transformations experienced from 1815 to 1821, as well as the arrival and 13-year stay of the Portuguese court in tropical lands.