In 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Mends was made a knight of the Spanish Order of Charles III, a title he was permitted to wear in British service, but which did not grant him the privileges of a British knight.[2] The following year his pension was increased to £300 a year. In 1821, Mends became commander in chief of the West African Station in the frigate HMS Iphigenia, later transferring to HMS Owen Glendower.[2]