sentences:  Sultan Abdul Rahman devoted himself increasingly to religion; he had delegated all administrative duties to Raja Ja'afar by the time William Farquhar approached the Sultan to secure an alliance with the British in an attempt to reduce Dutch influence in the region.In 1818, Sir Stamford Raffles persuaded the British East India Company to establish a new base in the East Indies.On 29 January 1819, Raffles landed at Singapura, and there he befriended Temenggong Abdul Rahman.