Continent world ultimately persisted with these being regarded as separate continents. From the late 18th century, some geographers started to regard North America and South America as two parts of the world, making five parts in total. Overall though, the fourfold division prevailed well into the 19th century. Europeans discovered Australia in 1606, but for some time it was taken as part of Asia. By the late 18th century, some geographers considered it a continent in its own right, making it the sixth (or fifth for those still taking America as a single continent). In 1813, Samuel Butler wrote of Australia
Atlantis, the Lost Continent the weapon. As lightning flashes and thunder roars, the entire continent is sinking just before it begins to rise up quickly. Just as quickly the sea bottom collapses, and Atlantis plunges beneath the waves. The large crystal atop the capital's large pyramid, the main power source for the entire continent, short-circuits, and a massive explosion follows. The skies suddenly clear. Various groups of survivors, including Demetrios and Antillia, flee to Greece and other parts of the world, where they are absorbed into other cultures, and the Legend of Lost Atlantis is spread through the many peoples and nations that follow