Lehi left Jerusalem; Spaulding's heroes sailed from Rome.
Lehi started on his journey not knowing whither the Lord would lead him; the Romans were bound for Britain.
Lehi and his companions wandered for several years on land; the Roman party made the entire journey by water.
Lehi traveled by way of the Arabian peninsula and the Indian and Pacific oceans; Spaulding's imaginary characters sailed by way of the Mediterranean sea and the Atlantic ocean.
The travels of one party were considerably south of east; the voyage of the others west or north-west.
One party landed on the South Pacific shore;[D] the other on the North Atlantic.
[Footnote D: Regarding the route taken by Lehi and his company, the Prophet Joseph Smith states:
"They traveled nearly a south, south-east direction until they came to the ninteenth degree of north latitude; then, nearly east to the sea of Arabia, then sailed in a south-east direction, and landed on the continent of South America, in Chili, thirty degrees south latitude.">[
Mormon's record was written in reformed Egyptian; the imaginary "Manuscript Found" in Latin.
Mormon's record was engraved on plates of metal; Spaulding's pretended manuscript was written on parchment.