The most interesting occurrence of the day was the arrival from the main of a very large canoe, with twenty-six people on board.* When close to she shortened sail and attempted to paddle up, but being too unwieldy to stem the current, the end of a rope from the ship was carried out to her and she hauled up under our stern and made fast there. Besides the ordinary paddles we observed at each end two others of large size--probably used for steering with, pulled as oars, with cane grommets on the gunwale. We had not before seen so fine a sample of Papuans; several were elderly men of fine figure and commanding appearance. One man among them who sat alone upon a small raised stage over the platform appeared to exercise a considerable degree of authority over the rest; the only instance yet seen by us, either here or at the Louisiade, of anyone assuming the functions of a chief. He called a small canoe alongside, and getting under the mizen chains attempted to climb up at once, and appeared surprised that the privilege of coming on board denied to the other natives was not immediately extended to him. He was, however, accidentally allowed to come up the side and remain on deck for a short time. He was a tall slender man, of about forty years of age, with sharp Jewish features--his face and chest were painted black, and he wore a crest of cassowary feathers across his head. (*Footnote. Represented in the illustration.) DESCRIPTION OF CANOE. This large canoe measured about forty feet in length, and was constructed of a hollowed-out tree raised upon with large planks forming a long coffin-like box, closed with high end boards elegantly carved and painted. Two rows of carved fishes ran along the sides, and both ends were peaked, the bow rising higher than the stern, and, like it, but more profusely, decorated with carving painted red and white, streamers of palm-leaf, egg-cowries, and plumes of cassowary feathers. The outrigger framework was completely covered over, forming a large platform above the centre of which a small stage rested on a strong projecting beam the outer end of which was carved into the figure of a bird, while the inner reached to the centre of the body of the canoe, and served to support the mast. The planks forming the sides were strongly supported by knees where each of the ten or twelve outrigger poles passes through one side and rests against the other, and some loose bottom boards form a partial shifting deck. The mast is supported above by two stays fore and aft, and below steps into a massive bent timber crossing the centre of the canoe, resting on the bottom, and is secured above to the inner end of the long cross beam by strong lashings, and some large wedges between it and one side. The sail is of great size, being as long as the platform, but both in construction and mode of management is precisely similar to that formerly described with reference to a canoe seen at Coral Haven,