FACTFINDER’S CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Large village on the Firth of Clyde (pop 2,000), the birthplace of A J Cronin (8) 5 Town in North Lanarkshire (pop 3,600), noted for its grotto, a place of pilgrimage (6)

10 A small ornamental writing-desk (9) 11 A scientific classification (5) 12 Abraham __ (1809 - 65), the 16th President of the USA (7)

13 Citizen of a European country which was a founder member of what is now the EU ( 7) 14 Barcelona-born surrealist artist (1893 1983) (4,4)

17 Make a passing call at a port (5)

19 The leader of a Cub Scout pack (5) 21 A greyish-white lustrous metal (8) 24 Provincial capital in eastern China (pop 8.5 million), on the Yangtse River (7)

25 The wife of Theseus in Greek mythology (7)

27 Gather information from various sources (5)

28 A second mowing of grass in the same

season (9)

29 A member of an ancient ascetic Jewish

sect (6)

30 The capsules of several tropical plants of

the ginger family (8)

DOWN

1 Francis __(1893 -1937), Edinburgh-born artist, one of the Scottish Colourists (6) 2 A large glossy black species of crows (5) 3 Former capital city in south-east Asia (pop about 7 million), founded in the 11th century (7)

4 To scud before the wind (5)

6 An ancient French gold coin (7)

7 Florid embellishments (mus) (9)

8 A drug which grants forgetfulness in Greek mythology (8)

9 Intractable, or set in one’s ways (8) 15 European shrubs of the dogbane family (9) 16 Necessary and important as part of a whole (8)

18 Andrew __ (1835 -1919), Dunfermline-born industrialist and philanthropist (8)

20 Small city in southern France (pop about 90,000), on the Rhone (7)

22 Fought with the feet or spurs (of a gamecock) (7) 23 Scottish victory over a north um brian army

(1018) (6)

25 A genus of birds, the so-called antthrushes (5)

26 A fainting fit, or a sudden attack of illness

(5)