Captain Thomas, a gentleman distinguished for his humanity, was born about the year 1688, and spent the early part of his life in the station of master of a vessel trading to the colonies. He afterwards resided in the eastern part of the metropolis, among seafaring people; and business often obliging him to go early into the city, and return late, he frequently saw infants exposed in the streets, through the indigence or cruelty of their parents. This excited his compassion, and induced him to project the establishment of an hospital for foundlings; in which humane design he laboured with indefatigable diligence for seventeen years, and having, by his application, induced a number of the nobility and gentry to patronize and carry the scheme into execution, he at length obtained for it a royal charter. He was also instrumental in promoting the trade of America, by procuring a bounty upon naval stores imported from our colonies; and he had a concern in setting on foot the colonies of Georgia and Nova Scotia. His last charitable design, in which he lived to make some progress, was a scheme for uniting the North American Indians more closely to the British interest, by means of an establishment for the education of Indian girls. In short, he spent the greater part of life in labouring for the public, and experienced a fate too common with those who devote their talents to such laudable purposes; being at last indicted for subsistence to the voluntary subscriptions of some public-spirited persons, at the head of whom was Frederick, prince of Wales. Captain Coram died in 1751, and was interred at his own desire in a vault under the chapel of the Foundling Hospital.