Schmaltz, his family and staff made it to shore in a longboat, subsequently reaching the capital of Senegal by land.
He then formally resumed possession of the former French colony from the British garrison commanded by Colonel Thomas Brereton.
Apparently escaping any direct blame for the loss of the Méduse, Schmaltz remained in office as governor for four years.
On 8 May 1819 he signed the Treaty of Ndiaw with the Brak of Waalo, which resulted in the creation of a series of commercial posts along the Sénégal River(Bakel, 1820 ; Dagana, 1821 ; Merinaghen, 1822 ; Lampsar, 1843 ; Sénoudébou, 1845).
Schmaltz initiated a far-reaching project of agricultural colonization in the region of Waalo, which gradually failed after he left office and was abandoned in 1831.