Naturalista e homem público: a trajetória do ilustrado José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva em sua fase portuguesa (1780 -1819)

José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silvas presence in historiography is nearly consensual,\ud as far as his identification as the Patriarch of the Independence is concerned. This identification\ud corresponds to the primacy attributed to his status as a statesman and parliamentarian. However, he became known not only as a public man, but also as a man of learning, into researching\ud the natural world. This article wich makes use of the IHGB and MP/USP manuscripts colections,\ud will investigate the role played by José Bonifácio in the process of the Portuguese Enlightenment\ud in four moments: his studies at Coimbra University Law School, his admission to the Sciences\ud Royal Academy in Lisbon, the scientific trip to the main mining centres in Central and North\ud Europe, and his appointment for the General Intendancy of the Mines and Metals of the\ud Kingdom. The analysis of the naturalist in his Portuguese phase allows the observation of the\ud active role the Brazilian-born Portuguese have played in the process of diffusion of the\ud Enlightenment in the Portuguese Kingdom