And this is actually a great example of the importance of

这也是一个经典案例
thinking about the nature of historical evidence.

告诉我们史料的诞生背景十分重要
Who things are written to

即这些报告是写给谁的
and why they're written has a lot to do with how you interpret them.

为什么要写这关系着我们该如何解读
Right? You have these two documents being written

我们正在学习的这两份的材料
for really specific reasons to a very specific audience.

都有特定的原因和陈述对象
So Gage is trying to explain to royal authorities

盖奇是在向王室解释
a shooting that never should have happened.

这场本不该发生的枪击事件
He has to somehow justify this,

他必须想办法找客观原因
so he's appealing to the people he sent the letter to--

因此他要告诉收信人
whoever this royal authority was--

不管是哪位王室成员
and he has to assume that other royal authorities are going to see it.

也许其他官员也会看到这封信