The Confederation seemed to be falling to pieces. 联邦似乎要四分五裂，

　　That it did not actually fall to pieces was largely due to the fact that all the states were interested in the settlement of the region northwest of the Ohio River. 它没有真正地四分五裂主要是因为各个州都对俄亥俄河西北部地区的聚居地有兴趣。

　　It will be well to stop a moment and see how this came about. 应该稍停一下看看怎么会是这个局势。

　　Under their old charters Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Carolina, and Georgia had claims to lands west of the Alleghanies. 马萨诸塞、康涅狄格、弗吉尼亚、卡罗莱纳和佐治亚都按照过去的特许状宣布对奥利哈尼西部的土地有主权，

　　Between 1763 and 1776 the British government had paid slight heed to these claims. 在1763-1776年之间英国政府没有太在意这些主权，

　　But Daniel Boone and other colonists had settled west of the mountains in what are now the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. 但是，丹尼尔o布恩和其他殖民者已经居住到山区西部，而这些山脉现在属于肯塔基州和田纳西州，

　　When the Revolution began the states having claims to western lands at once put them forward, and New York also claimed a right to about one-half of the disputed territory. 革命一开始，那些拥有西部主权的州就立刻提出它们对这些地区有主权，而纽约州也宣布对一半有争议的领域有主权。

　　Naturally, the states that had no claims to these lands had quite different views. 自然，那些没有宣布对这些地区有主权的州有各种不同的意见，

　　The Marylanders, for example, thought that the western lands should be regarded as national territory and used for the common benefit. 例如，马里兰人认为西部地区的土地应该被当做国家的领土，用于公共福利，

　　Maryland refused to join the Confederation until New York had ceded her claims to the United States, and Virginia had proposed a cession of the territory claimed by her. 除非纽约州对联邦宣布放弃它所宣称的主权，弗吉尼亚宣布割让她有主权的土地，马里兰才加入联邦。

　　175. The Land Cessions. 175．割让土地

　　In 1784 Virginia gave up her claims to the land northwest of the Ohio River with the exception of certain large tracts which she reserved for her veteran soldiers. 1784年弗吉尼亚州宣布放弃它对俄亥俄河西北部土地的主权，但是，它保留了那些留给退伍士兵的大块土地的主权；

　　Massachusetts ceded her claims in 1785. 1785年马萨诸塞州放弃它在西部的主权；

　　The next year (1786) Connecticut gave up her claims. 第二年（1786年）康涅狄格州放弃它在西部的主权，

　　But she reserved a large tract of land directly west of Pennsylvania. This was called the Connecticut Reserve or, more often, the Western Reserve. 但保留宾夕法尼亚州正西部大块土地的主权；

　　South Carolina and North Carolina ceded their lands in 1787 and 1790, 南、北卡罗莱纳州分别在1787年和1790年放弃其在西部的主权；

　　and finally Georgia gave up her claims to western lands in 1802. 最终，佐治亚州于1802年也放弃其对西部土地的主权。