For three years from 1879, the royal brothers served on , accompanied by Dalton. They toured the colonies of the British Empire in the Caribbean, South Africa and Australia, and visited Norfolk, Virginia, as well as South America, the Mediterranean, Egypt, and East Asia. In 1881 on a visit to Japan, George had a local artist tattoo a blue and red dragon on his arm, and was received in an audience by the Emperor Meiji; George and his brother presented Empress Haruko with two wallabies from Australia. Dalton wrote an account of their journey entitled "The Cruise of HMS Bacchante". Between Melbourne and Sydney, Dalton recorded a sighting of the "Flying Dutchman", a mythical ghost ship. When they returned to Britain, the Queen complained that her grandsons could not speak French or German, and so they spent six months in Lausanne in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to learn another language. After Lausanne, the brothers were separated; Albert Victor attended Trinity College, Cambridge, while George continued in the Royal Navy. He travelled the world, visiting many areas of the British Empire. During his naval career he commanded "Torpedo Boat 79" in home waters, then on the North America and West Indies Station. His last active service was in command of HMS "Melampus" in 1891–92. From then on, his naval rank was largely honorary.