Peter Strickland (1837-1922) was a shipmaster, merchant, and U.S. consul in the French colony of Senegal. The diaries and letter books of Peter Strickland date 1857 to 1912. While varying in content, the diaries center around Strickland’s life as a merchant, both on the sea as well as in Senegal. Issues of two French colonial weekly newspapers contextualize the events of the French colony during Strickland’s time there.