  The three-nucleon ground state and the N--d scattering states are obtained
using variational principles. The wave function of the system is decomposed
into angular-spin-isospin channels and the corresponding two dimensional
spatial amplitudes are expanded in a correlated polynomial basis. For the
scattering states, the complex form of the Kohn variational principle is used
to determine the $S$--matrix. Special attention is given to the convergence
pattern of the phase-shift and mixing parameters. The calculations have been
performed using realistic local NN potentials and three-nucleon forces.
Important features of the method are anomaly-free solutions and the low
dimensionality of the matrices involved allowing for the inclusion of a large
number of states. Very precise and stable numerical results have been obtained.
