During most of the Liberal Union government period he was stationed in Cuba as Captain-General although his support of O'Donnell did not dispel their suspicion of him, even after he served as a senator from 1858 to 1860.
During his stay in America he was noted for his clear commitment to abolish slavery, which earned him the enmity of the Spanish expatriates and open confrontation with Julian de Zulueta. On his return in 1866 he participated in the conspiracy that led to the revolution and the overthrow of Isabella in 1868. Although he was banished to the Canary Islands as a suspected progressive collaborator despite being one of the signatories of the manifesto that accompanied the revolution.[clarification needed]
He returned to Cuba, and is noted for having decreed for the first time on the island – 9 January 1869 – freedom of the press just a few months before his death on 23 November 1869.