of country than did the land of Zarahemla. The two countries were separated by the wilderness which extended entirely across the continent from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. The northern edge of this wilderness ran in a line almost due east and west, and passed near the head of the river Sidon. All north of this belt of wilderness was considered the land of Zarahemla; all south of it was included in the land of Nephi.
The exact place where Lehi and his little colony first landed on that continent is not stated in the Book of Mormon; but it is generally believed among the Latter-day Saints, from a statement made by the Prophet Joseph, to be on the coast of Chili, in thirty degrees south latitude.
In the region where Lehi landed, there he also died. Soon after his death, Nephi, and those of the colony who wished to serve the Lord, migrated, by the command of God, to another country. The reason for this command was the murderous hatred shown by Laman and Lemuel towards Nephi and his friends. Nephi and his company journeyed in the wilderness. By the expression "the wilderness," we understand the inspired writer to mean the uncultivated and uninhabited portions of the land. The journey of the Nephites was northward, as is shown by their later history; but Nephi, in his very brief account of this migration, says nothing with regard to the direction in which they traveled. At the end of many days a land was found which was deemed suitable for settlement. There the company pitched their tents, and commenced the tilling of the soil. In honor of their leader, it was called the land of Nephi.
No doubt the choice of location was made by Divine inspiration. It was a highly favored land, rich in mineral and vegetable productions, and yielded abundant crops to the labors of the
