FACTFINDER’S CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Small town in South Lanarkshire (pop 2,500), created a burgh in 1451 (6) 4 A great public sacrifice (8) 9 Controversial novel (1955) by Vladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977) (6) 10 Of a north African country (63,170 sq miles; pop 11 million), independent since 1956 (8) 12 To deck, dress or embellish (5) 13 A genus of shrubs of the heath family (9) 14 Proceed from some source (7) 15 A book of the Old Testament (4) 19 A South American country (496,295 sq miles; pop 32 million), independent since 1821 (4) 21 Large South American vultures (7) 24 Dismal-looking or suggesting misery (9) 26 French river, rising in the forest of Argonne

and flowing 221 miles into the River Oise (5) 27 Irregular measures in burlesque poetry (8) 28 The __ (1775), a comedy by 29 across (6) 29 R S __ (1751 - 1816), Dublin-born dramatist who wrote The School for Scandal (1777) (8) 30 Alleviates or abates (6)

DOWN

1 Small town in the north-east (pop about 1,500), once the terminus of the Deeside Railway (8) 2 A breed of large black hornless cattle originally from the south west (8) 3 Break down into finer points (9) 5 South American country (104,505 sq miles; pop about 15 million), independent since 1830 (7) 6 A friend in Spanish-speaking countries (5) 7 A forge-hammer worked by foot (6) 8 An indian fig-tree (6) 11 A gadoid fish resembling the cod (4) 16 Robert __ (1774 - 1810), Paisley-born songwriter who wrote the Braes o’ Gleniffer (9) 17 Country in southern Africa (224,690 sq miles; pop 2.5 million), independent since 1966 (8) 18 Slanders or calumniates (8) 20 An order of (permanently) tailed amphibians (7) 21 A gadfly or horse-fly (4) 22 Citizens of a country in northern Europe (173,860 sq miles; pop 10 million). It joined the EU in 1995 (6) 23 A small kind of shark (6) 25 A fragrant resin used in varnishes, etc (5)