Paul de la Gironière

Paul Proust de la Gironière (1797–1862) was a traveler from Nantes who lived in the Philippines and wrote about his experiences there. He arrived in the Philippines in 1820 and established the Jala Jala hacienda in Morong (present-day Rizal province). Among the activities that he undertook were hog raising and planting indigo, sugarcane, and coffee.

On June 23, 1837, Gironiere's efforts in the field of horticulture and agriculture were recognized by the Real Sociedad Economica de Amigos del Pais de Pilipinas — winning 1,000 pesos for raising 6,000 coffee plants. He ensured good relations with the clergy by building a church; and with his workers by building cockpits in the estate.

Family

His father was a noble captain ruined by the French revolution who died in Vertou, near from Nantes.

Works

• Vingt Années aux Philippines (1853)
• Twenty years in the Philippines, Harper & Bros, New-York (1854)
• Aventures d'un gentilhomme breton aux îles Philippines (1855)
• Adventures of a Frenchman in the Philippines, C.H. Clark, London, (1854)
• Moeurs indiennes et quelques pensées philosophiques pendant un voyage à Majaijai (1862)
• Journey to Majayjay