Editing Paul Barras (section)

==Early life==
Descended from a noble family of [[Provence]], he was born at [[Fox-Amphoux]], in today's [[Var (département)|Var]] ''[[Département in France|département]]''.<ref name=Richardson30>Richardson, p. 30.</ref> At the age of sixteen, he entered the regiment of [[Languedoc]] as a "[[gentleman]] [[cadet]]". In 1776, he embarked for [[French India]].<ref name=Richardson30/><ref name=EB1911>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Barras, Paul François Nicolas | volume= 3 |last= Rose | first= John Holland |author-link= John Holland Rose | pages = 431&ndash;432 |short= 1}}</ref>

Shipwrecked on his voyage, he still managed to reach [[Pondicherry (city)|Pondicherry]] in time to contribute to the defence of that city during the [[Second Anglo-Mysore War]].<ref name=Richardson30/> Besieged by British forces, the city surrendered on 18 October 1778; after the French garrison was released, Barras returned to France.<ref name=EB1911/><ref group=Note>He left on a [[cartel (ship)|cartel]] named ''Sartine''. This was not the [[HMS Sartine (1778)|''Sartine'']] that the British [[Royal Navy]] had captured at Pondicherry and taken into service.</ref> He took part in a second expedition to the region in 1782/83, serving in the fleet of the renowned Admiral [[Pierre André de Suffren]].<ref name=Richardson30/> Afterwards, he spent several years back home in France at leisure in relative obscurity.<ref name=Richardson30/><ref name=EB1911/>