François Martin (1634  1706) is known as the Father of Pondicherry in French India. He was the city's very first Governor General. During his extended stay in India, François Martin kept a Journal entitled "Mémoires sur l'établissement des colonies françaises aux Indes-Orientales”, covering the period from 1664 to 1694. The original manuscript is preserved in the Archives nationales de Paris, and a copy of the manuscript created by A. Margry is kept at the BnF. It provides an accurate description of the first French colonies on the Indian subcontinent.