DUNN, JOHN (1790-1861), merchant and banker, was born in Scotland, the son of William Dunn, a weaver. At 16 he was apprenticed to a 'manufacturer of cottons and linens', and in 1811 his articles were endorsed. He spent some years in Hamburg before sailing in 1821 for Van Diemen's Land in Peter Degraves's ship, Hope, with his wife Catherine, nee Colville, and their son John. After the Hope was nearly wrecked on the Goodwin Sands and condemned as 'unseaworthy and overloaded', the stranded passengers were transferred to the Heroine; they were joined by Dunn's wealthy mother-in-law and arrived at Hobart Town on 10 September 1822. With recommendations from the Colonial Office and goods worth 2296 pounds, Dunn was granted land on the South Esk River, which he soon sold. He opened a small shop on the corner of Elizabeth and Bathurst Streets in Hobart, and was reputed to issue 'small promissory notes on wretched paper which soon wore out, whereon he would refuse to honour them'