Born to a blacksmith, Laborde emigrated to India, before attempting to recover treasure from ships wrecked along the coast of Madagascar in 1831.
After becoming shipwrecked himself, Laborde made his way to Antananarivo where he manufactured muskets and gunpowder for the queen in a factory located in Ilafy.
[1] Laborde then organized 20,000 forced labourers to build an industrial complex in Mantasoa, closer to water, wood, and iron ore.
There, 1,200 workmen produced cannon, swords, bricks, tiles, pottery, glass, porcelain, silk, soap, candles, sealing-wax, lime, cement, charcoal, ink, dyes, sugar, rum, sulfuric acid, and lightning conductors.
The French government became involved in a dispute with the Malagasy over the inheritance of Laborde's property after his death in 1878, some of which was a gift from Queen Ranavalona I.