[3] In October 1854 Jules gave a brilliant fête with fireworks in honour of the new Khedive, Saïda-Pasha, that was attended by leading dignitaries from Cairo and representatives of European countries.

After the death of their father, starting in 1825 the five brothers, Jean-Baptiste, Jules, Paul, Eugène and Joseph Pastré, quickly expanded into shipping and trade between Europe and the East, and even into banking.

After the 1860s, after the death of Eugène and two of his brothers, the family proved unable to adapt to changes in the political situation in Egypt, particularly the crisis of 1875-1880 in which the financial market of Alexandria collapsed.

[5] Between 1836 and 1853 the Pastré family accumulated 120 hectares (300 acres) of land between Pointe Rouge and the Grotte Rolland in the south of Marseille, which they made into a park.

[10] The illustrated papers of the time gave breathless descriptions of these events, such as a ball attended by the Pastrés in 1864 or a play presented at the home of Mme Pastre in 1884.