Arrival at Liverpool

Twenty-one days took us into the Channel, and seven more of calm set our feet upon the dock at Liverpool, at a late hour of the night. The next took us to the custom-house, and there, to my happy disappointment, was demanded no duty, the officer kindly telling me that, as my books were for gratuitous distribution in Ireland, he regretted I had not a thousand more, and that he should make no charges. A tea-cup full of oatmeal stirabout and milk, a night's lodging in a dwelling contiguous to the hotel (for the talkative landlady had her house full) made a charge of six English shillings, besides a sixpence each to two servants, neither of whom had I seen till I stood at the door to depart.

Ireland’s Welome to the Stranger is one of the best accounts of Irish social conditions, customs, quirks and habits that you could wish for. The author, Mrs Asenath Nicholson, was an American widow who travelled extensively in Ireland on the eve of the Great Famine and meticulously observed the Irish peasantry at work and play, as well as noting their living conditions and diet. The book is also available from Kindle.