Thanks to the unparalled favor of fortune, which has saved the Army of Liberation of Cuba, from destruction, iminently threatened in various ways, and on several occasions, I find myself to-day again in the beautiful and shady capital of Florida. I arrived here yesterday afternoon, per mule-power railroad from St. Marks, which latter place I reached day before yesterday, in a fishing boat from Cedar Keys, 120 miles distant. I left Key West with some 150 others, about two weeks ago, in a brig for Cedar Keys, which we reached after five days sail, and after twice coming within a slight roll of being capsized in squalls off the Florida reefs. That the brig Suwannee was not lost, we and her owners need not thank the knowledge or energy of the Captain or mate, Messrs. Barrett and Lines, two as mean and hypocritical yankees as it has been our misfortune to meet with. We owe our safety to the undaunted activity and self-possession of three noble sailors, who, after waiting until it was almost too late, for orders, at last acted without orders. After a tremendous squall had passed away, the prayerful Captain, drawing a long breath, naively observed, "Why, I thought it was nothing but rain." At Cedar Keys we met with some very generous friends, particularly Mr. Richards, deputy custom house officer; the pilot, Sam Johnson, a somewhat excentric, but really well informed and noble-hearted fellow, and Mr. Jos. S. Oglesby, who all rendered us great assistance. In fact, our lasting gratitude is due to the people of Florida everywhere, who, knowing our circumstances and appreciating our feelings under them, have offered us everything they could, without being asked. Neither at St. Marks nor this place would those who entertained us receive any pay from such as had money to offer, though from most of us the ever-prayerful Captain Barrett had taken the last five dollars, for the priviledge of sleeping on the cabin floor of the Suwannee at night, besides helping to pull ropes and tack ship in gales and squalls! From my experience in sailing around the Gulfs of Mexico and Florida, on different crafts, for the last thirty-five or forty days, I begin to think myself half qualified to pass for a sailor. The party with which I left Key West, was the last detachment of the army, except those who remained with the wounded. Most of the men went from Key West to Tampa. Some four hundred were assembled at that place at one time. Gen. Twiggs, who is there with some companies of U. States troops, went among them, saying he expected orders that very night to arrest every man concerned in the expedition, and wished all that possibly could to get away before he received such orders. He gave them two days' rations, and about two hundred of them started from Tampa to go through the wilderness to Savannah, Macon, Tallahassee, &c. &c. Others got off on ships for New Orleans, and but few remained there when we passed by. Those who go through, will have to traverse a wild country a distance of two or three hundred miles. About twenty Kentuckians and Mississippians will leave St. Marks on the 10th inst. on the packet for New Orleans, among them Capt. Robinson and Dr. Scott, of Florence, Ky.

The southern papers contain many lengthy accounts of the expedition, its outfit, numbers, achievements at Cardenas, and escape from the combined navies of three or four great nations. I notice in them many great mistakes, and some gross misrepresentations; the latter particularly in the Savannah Georgian, the editor of which got his information in an interview with General Lopez. The General, in his desperation, is very ungenerously endeavoring to throw the blame of failure on the American officers and soldiers, saying that it was in consequence of their refusal to follow him to another point on the Island, after leaving Cardenas. We did refuse to follow him-- refuse again to put our lives in his hands, after he had led us to a place where, had we remained five hours longer, the army would have been destroyed to a man--as, if we could not retreat, every American was determined to die fighting even against fifty times our number, in the streets of Cardenas. Gen. Lopez will not deny that. I myself handed him a despatch from a friendly Creole, informing him that from three to five thousand Spanish soldiers, with cavalry and artillery would be upon us before the next morning. What chance would there have been for our five hundred undisciplined men--without a single piece of artillery--against such a force in a country with which we were entirely unacquainted, and without the least assistance from the Creoles, for whose liberty we were fighting. I write what I emphatically know, when I say that after the affair at Cardenas, both officers and men lost all confidence in General Lopez, his promises, and the patriotism of the people of Cuba. No doubt they wanted freedom, admired republican institutions, and emulated the glory of the American character--but no one who saw the citizens of Cardenas on Sunday, the 19th of May last, neat, trimly dressed, stepping about like dancing masters, will ever say that they will fight for independence--it is even doubtful whether they deserve liberty, or would know how to appreciate it as a gift. This was ample cause for our refusal to follow Gen. Lopez further. But there where also other causes, if anything still more imperative, which impelled even the few who, reckless of life, were yet willing to land with him on another part of the Island, to give up the attempt. We had, while aground in the Bay of Cardenas, thrown overboard all our ammunition but six or eight boxes, together with many arms and a large quantity of provisions; and then only got off three or four hours before the Spanish war steamer came in, which would have knocked our little steamboat to pieces with one broadside.

We had not fuel enough to run the Creole into Key West, and to keep up steam for the last six or eight miles, we were compelled to burn all the rosin on board but a barrel or so, and what little pork was left,--the aforesaid Spanish steamer being them within three miles of us, and before the Creole struck the pier at Key West, the muzzles of the Pizarro's cannon, loaded with grape and cannister, passed within two hundred yards of her,--General Amado, or some grand officer, standing out in magnificent uniform, and--apparently--cursing us in Spanish!! Add to all this the fact stated by the quarter-master, that there was not half enough water to supply the troops until the steamer would reach Mantua, where Gen. Lopez wished to go. Many of the men, when we reached Key West, had been without water twenty-four hours--nearly all had been without fifteen or eighteen. I know from what I felt and saw on board the Creole, that in a few hours more there would have been numbers of men famished for water. Then again, what risks would we have run, in passing so near Havana, of being captured or sunk by some one of the twenty or thirty ships guarding the coast of Cuba? I really think the immense fleet of war steamers, seventy-fours, corvettes, sloops and gun boats, ought to consider themselves eternally disgraced for letting our poor little old passenger boat, compactly crowded with six hundred men, run into Cardenas--a city of eight or ten thousand inhabitants, situated on a bay fifteen miles long, full of shoals and Islands,--land her troops at the principal pier, wait until they had marched up to the garrison, took it by storm, burned the Governor's palace, taking his Excellency prisoner, with thirty or forty soldiers, declared a Republican Government, eat dinner under it, in the afternoon repelled an insurrection of 200 Spanish infantry and 100 lancers, leaving alive scarcely one of the latter who charged upon them--and then run out again before night; sticking on a sand bar after dark within five miles of the city until near morning, getting off by the most unparalleled exertions, and finally running safely into Key West, under the "stars and stripes," and the guns of the magnificent Pizarro!! And all this is nothing to what we might have done in the way of capturing, had we been, as the braggadocia Spaniards call us, pirates or incendiaries.

As one of those who, completely deceived and misinformed, took an active part in getting up the Kentucky regiment, I feel inexpressible remorse on account of the sufferings and privations which the failure of the expedition has entailed upon all; and for the sad fate of some of my best and bravest friends. I know that you, Messrs. Editors, and all who knew him, will join me in expressions of sorrow for the death of my dear relative, and your former talented coadjutor, Mr. JOHN M. McCANN, of Paris, Ky. He was shot through the breast, at the commencement of the fight towards evening. Mr. McC. accompanied the Expedition as a chaplain, and did not take an active part in the engagement.--I shall at a future time, claim your columns to do justice to the character and memory of this most estimable young man. I have not as yet seen any authentic statement of our killed and wounded, but would state it at from 12 to 15 killed, and 15 to 20 wounded. Among the latter, Gen. Gonzales, and Col. O'Hara, of the Kentucky regiment. Both these officers fell at almost the first fire from the garrison, and this was a serious loss to us, for to them chiefly the army looked for guidance and direction. No other field officer, unless it was Col. Bell, of Mississippi, was competent or pretended to take command; and the fighting was consequently very wild and irregular, but as brave as ever Americans did. Gen. Lopez does not speak English at all. I will say of him, however, that throughout he has exhibited the most cool, and determined courage. He is, doubtless, as brave a man as ever stood on a battle-field. The only act of his that I can imagine had any thing to do with fear, was his desertion of the army at Key West. He left on the Isabel, the night after our arrival, without making any provision at all for the men, who were entirely destitute.
        Truly yours,
                                                                                                                    Richardson Hardy.