Originally published in 1879 in St Petersburg, this important work has never been reprinted and remains a bibliographical rarity. Ivan Il'ich Zakharov originally entered the Russian diplomatic service and was responsible for redrawing the western Russian-Chinese border which resulted in the significant transfer of Chinese territory to Russia. Zakharov ended his career as Professor of Manchu at St Petersburg Imperial University, his research into the Manchu language gaining him a Doctoral degree in Manchu Philology in 1875. Although he based his approach to the grammar on the conventions of Latin grammars of his day, the work contains a mine of valuable information.