Factfinder's crossword

Across

1 A reddish first-magnitude star in Orion (10)

9 Edward W __ (1847-1910), an American ordnance expert who invented flares for signalling at night (4)

10 Lake __ , the deepest (and second largest) lake in Africa (10)

11 A strong beam passed through a wall as a temporary support (6)

12 Border river flowing 97 miles into the North Sea (5)

15 An earthy volcanic tuff used as a hydraulic cement (5)

18 River port in Oklahoma (pop about 370,000), settled in 1879 (5)

19 Richard __ (1856-1928), Edinburgh-born lawyer and politician who founded the Territorial Army (7)

20 A decorative strip of pleated fabric on a garment (5)

21 Arabian capital city (pop about 500,000), regarded by the Arabs as the world's oldest city (5)

22 Substance used to give a particular smell to a product (7)

23 Commuter village in Surrey, the site of Nonsuch Palace (5)

24 Supports any cause, opinion etc (5)

26 The goddess of farming in Roman mythology (5)

29 A trunk or low chest used for storage (6)

31 An amino acid found in many plant seeds (10)

32 A common shelter spun by a company of spiders (4)

33 Henry __ (1807-82), US poet who wrote The Song of Hiawatha (1855) (10)

Down

2 Abba __ (1915-2002), Israeli diplomat and politician who was Foreign Minister (1966-70) (4)

3 Friedrich __ (1820-95), German politician who collaborated with Karl Marx on the Communist Manifesto (6)

4 Jean __ (1910-86), Paris-born author who wrote Notre-Dame des Fleurs (1944) (5)

5 An abdominal segment (5)

6 A South African antelope, resembling the elk (5)

7 The yellow viper of tropical America (3-2-5)

8 Citizens of an ancient Greek city in the Pelopponese (10)

13 Robert __ (1676-1745), Norfolk-born Whig politician regarded as the first British prime minister (7)

14 A display, especially of goods in a shop window (7)

15 Thin sheet iron or steel coated with an alloy, chiefly of lead and tin (5,5)

16 Enlarged and persistent (bot) (10)

17 The place of departed spirits in ancient Hebrew theology (5)

18 The protective outer coating of a seed (bot) (5)

25 Bay of __ , an arm of the Indian Ocean (6)

26 Ancient royal burgh (with a charter from 1178) in Fife (5)

27 Cathedral city in North Yorkshire on the River Ure (5)

28 A short cross-line at the end of stroke in a letter (5)

30 A remarkable thing (4)

Last week's solution:

Across: 1 Duncan Macrae, 9 Striker, 10 Mammoth, 11 Haig, 12 Omani, 13 Limn, 16 Erewhon, 17 Abilene, 18 Anthony, 21 Moidore, 23 Lith, 24 Crare, 25 Gill, 28 Okinawa, 29 Orology, 30 George Heriot.

Down: 2 Ukraine, 3 Cake, 4 Norimon, 5 Ammonia, 6 Rama, 7 Ebonite, 8 Chance-medley, 9 Schiehallion, 14 Pheon, 15 Tilia, 19 Tatting, 20 Yardang, 21 Murdoch, 22 Orinoco, 26 Fado, 27 Loir.