For the first time, the legacy of Singapore"s French community is being documented in a book. Since the founding of Singapore in 1819, missionaries, merchants, planters and other French pioneers have come to the fledging island port and contributed to its economic, educational and cultural development. Various personalities featured include J. Casteleyns (who built the first hostelry in 1857, the Hotel de l"Europe), Father Jean-Marie Beurel (who constructed the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd and St Joseph"s Institution in 1839) and Alfred Clouët (who started the well-known Ayam Brand canned sardines business). Today, the community has grown to around 8,000 and its contribution to Singapore"s development continues.