Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre


Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre was a French colonial administrator, diplomat and scholar. In Vietnamese royal records, he was referred as Hoắc Đạo Sinh.

Early career

Philastre graduated from the French naval academy in 1857 and took service on the Avalanche, arriving in Cochinchina in 1861. In 1863, Philastre was appointed inspector of native affairs in a village in the Mekong river delta and two years later he obtained the position of director of native legal affairs. In 1868, he became ill and was forced to return to France. During the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune, Philastre defended Paris in his capacity as commander of an artillery regiment.

Service in Annam

In 1873, Philastre returned to the French colonial service in Indochina. Philastre played in important role in mediating between the French colonial authorities in Annam and the royal court in Huế. In 1874, Philastre negotiated the Second Treaty of Saigon with the Annamese court. He also served in Cambodia. He left Indochina in 1889.

Scholarly contributions

Philastre authored a number of works on Chinese and Vietnamese studies, most important of which are the first French translation of the Yijing and a complete translation of the Emperor Gia Long's Code, which was based on the Qing Code.

Works