Early life of Nicolas-Thomas Baudin
Nicolas-Thomas Baudin was born on the 17th of February 1754. When Nicolas first became 15 he became a member of the merchant navy. When Nicolas turns 20 he becomes a member of the French East India Company. He remained a naval cadet for a year and acquired the position of quartermaster on a troop conveyance going towards India. After two years he was disappointed and returned home. At the age of 25 Nicolas-Thomas Baudin got a second chance at being a part of the navy as an officer bleu(navy officer) during the United States War of Independence. When a honourable man took over Baudin’s position as commanding officer on the sloop Apollon he was extremely infuriated and resigned, going overseas to work in the merchant facility. A conference with a traveller who stayed at the Cape of Good Hope gave Baudin’s career a new turn. Franz Boos was the Austrian Emperor’s head gardener and botanist and through this connection Baudin created botanical expeditions for the Austrians, learning a lot from Boos about botany and how to preserve plants and animals thriving aboard a ship.