Departures of note

George Bethune English, a Harvard-educated theologian, caused a scandal when he published The Grounds of Christianity Examined, a book questioning Christian doctrine after studying Jewish anti-Christian manuscripts and discussing them with Rabbi Gershom Seixas. The work led to his excommunication from the Churches of Christ and drew responses from prominent figures, including William Ellery Channing and Edward Everett. English later replied to Everett's defence of Christianity in a tract titled Five Smooth Stones out of the Brook.

English subsequently moved west to Ohio and Indiana Territory, where he edited a frontier newspaper and joined the Harmonie Sect, a puritanical religious community. He may have learned the Cherokee language during this period. In 1815, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, but after sailing to the Mediterranean, he resigned his commission and became one of the first Americans known to visit Egypt.

In Egypt, English converted to Islam and joined the service of Muhammad Ali Pasha, becoming the Topgi Bashi (chief of artillery) in an expedition up the Nile against Sennar in 1820. He distinguished himself as an artillery officer and later published a memoir of his exploits, Narrative of the Expedition to Dongola and Sennaar (London, 1822). Some historians have suggested he may have served as a secret agent during this time, though this remains uncertain.

After his service in Egypt, English worked in the United States Diplomatic Corps in the Levant, where he helped negotiate a trade agreement between the United States and the Ottoman Empire, a trade valued at nearly $800,000 in 1822. He returned to the United States in 1827 and died in Washington the following year. There is no record of him marrying or having children.