NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_. CANOES. THE CANOE, AND ITS USES IN PEACE AND WAR -- THE COMMON TRADING CANOE -- SKILL OF THE BOATMEN -- THE LARGE WAR CANOES, AND MODE OF BUILDING THEM -- DECORATIONS OF THE CANOES -- SKILFUL CARVINGS -- THE THEORY OF THE VARIOUS PATTERNS -- NAMES OF CANOES -- MANAGEMENT OF THE SAIL -- CANOE SONGS -- A COMPLETE BOAT-LOAD -- MODE OF LANDING -- SHAPE OF THE PADDLES, AND MODE OF USING THEM -- CARVING TOOLS -- SUPPOSED COMPASSES. War is carried on quite as much by water as by land, and a chief who knows the principles of good generalship always uses the sea as well as the land to serve as a basis for his attack. For this reason the Maories take care to build their pahs in spots where they are well defended from attack both on the seaward and the landward side. Some of them are on the very verge of high-water mark, while others are perched on the tops of cliffs, the base of which is washed by the waves. One of the most picturesque of these is a pah situate near Mount Egmont, and known by the name of the Waimate Pah. There is a cliff that rises perpendicularly some four or five hundred feet above the level of the water which laves its foot, and on the very summit of this cliff is situated the pah in question. It is of considerable size, containing many houses and is fortified with the usual wooden fence. In order to render it as nearly as possible impregnable, the only approach is by a very narrow and very steep path, that cannot be ascended except by people who have strong heads, the path being so narrow, so steep, and so dangerous that two men could defend it against fifty. In his warlike expeditions E’Hongi made great use of his canoes, taking them inland as far as they would go, and then having them dragged over land to the next river. These canoes play so important a part in the life of a New Zealander, whether in war or peace, that they require a detailed description. The canoes are of several kinds, according to the work which they have to perform. The simplest form of the New Zealander’s canoe is little more than a trunk of a tree hollowed into a sort of trough. Being incapable of withstanding rough weather, this canoe is only used upon rivers. Some of these canoes, which are called by the name of _kaupapas_, are from forty to fifty feet in length, and in the widest part not exceeding a yard in “beam.” A plentiful supply of fern leaves is laid at the bottom of the canoe, and upon these the passengers recline. Canoes of a similar character, called _tiwai_, are used in the inland lakes, and sit so low in the water that they appear to have no gunwale.