He had taken Dominique Parrenin's place as head of the school in which Manchus were taught Latin, to act as interpreters in Russian affairs.
Gaubil, the best astronomer and historian among the French Jesuits in China during the eighteenth century, carried on an extensive correspondence with the savants of his day, among them Fréret and Delisle.
From Chinese sources Gaubil translated the history of Genghis Khan (Histoire de Gentchiscan (Paris, 1739) and part of the annals of the Tang dynasty (in Mémoires concernant les Chinois.
Gaubil left a great number of manuscripts now kept in the Observatory and Naval Depot (Paris) and in the British Museum (London).
From three manuscript volumes kept formerly at the Ecole Sainte-Geneviève (Paris) there were published "Situation de Holin en Tartarie" (T'oung Pao, March, 1893) and "Situation du Japon et de la Corée" (T'oung Pao, March, 1898).