Edward Carteret, a Cambridge graduate, was Postmaster General at the time of the Jacobite Rebellion in 1722 and Viscount Townshend was Secretary for the Northern department, the seat of the Jacobite trouble. The latter gave orders to the postal authorities for the detention and examination of all suspected letters, hoping thus to arrest the rebel leaders. These letters show remarkable evidence of the vast web of intrigue spread all over Europe at this time in favour of the Jacobites.
From the guide to the Collection of letters concerning the Jacobite Rebellion of 1722 in Scotland and the North of England, 1722, (GB 206 Leeds University Library)