Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre
Encyclopedia
Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre (born 7 February 1837 in Brussels
, died 11 September 1902, Buyat-Beayeau, France
) was a french colonial administrator, diplomat and scholar.
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.
. 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.
's Code, which was based on the Qing Code
.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, died 11 September 1902, Buyat-Beayeau, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) was a french colonial administrator, diplomat and scholar.
Early career
Philastre graduated from the French naval academyÉcole Navale
The École Navale is the French Naval Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy.The academy was founded in 1830 by the order of King Louis-Philippe...
in 1857 and took service on the Avalanche, arriving in Cochinchina
Cochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
in 1861. In 1863, Philastre was appointed inspector of native affairs in a village in the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
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
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
and the Paris Commune
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
, Philastre defended Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in his capacity as commander of an artillery regiment.
Service in Annam
In 1873, Philastre returned to the French colonial service in IndochinaIndochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
. Philastre played in important role in mediating between the French colonial authorities in Annam and the royal court in Huế
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
. In 1874, Philastre negotiated the Second Treaty of Saigon
Treaty of Saigon
The Treaty of Saigon was signed on June 5, 1862, between representatives of the French Empire and the last precolonial emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty, Emperor Tự Đức. Based on the terms of the accord, Tự Đức ceded Saigon, the island of Poulo Condor and three southern provinces of what was to become...
with the Annamese court. He also served in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. 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 LongGia Long
Emperor Gia Long , born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh , was an emperor of Vietnam...
's Code, which was based on the Qing Code
Great Qing Legal Code
The Great Qing Legal Code or Qing Code was the legal code of Qing dynasty . The code was based on the Ming legal system, which was kept largely intact...
.
Works
- Le Yi king, ou, Livre des changements de la dynastie des Tsheou, traduit pour la première fois du chinois en français par P.-L.-F. Philastre. Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1885-1893.
- Le code annamite: nouvelle traduction complète. 2 vols, Études sur le droit annamite et chinois. Paris: E. Leroux, 1909.