Having found a Maine version of "Yellow Meal" aka Tapscott/ Tabscott in Horace Beck's unpublished thesis, I did some research about the song. In the DT, and other sources the "yellow meal" is explained as a corruption of the Irish pronounciation of "mail". However, in thinkiong about how the Irish were "saved" by the importation of grain during the famine, I did a little digging. It seems that Tapscott was, in fact, an importer of feedstuffs, not a packet ship as assumed by others.
In The Northwestern Miller, 1900 - Volume 49 - Page 902 we find "Notes- The firm of Tapscott, Kitchen & Neville, Liverpool, importers of feedingstuffs, has just been turned into limited liability company and will henceforth be known as Tapscott, Kitchen and Neville Ltd. The directors are John Tapscott, chairman; W.O. Blott, secretary,; Benjamin Blott and J. B. Neville."

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The version recorded by Beck is presented with a "Irish music hall" style chorus rather than as a shanty (although he calls it one). Sadly there is no tune included

Tab Scott
From Mrs. Dalton Raynes, Matinicus, ME

One morning as I went walking down Clarance Dock
I overheard an Irishman conversing with Tab Scott
"Good morning, Mr. Tab Scott, " "Good morning, Sir " said he
"Have you any ships bound for New York in the states of America?"

Chorus
Hailey go wailer go lay down my shay
Say me down hitch a back Mrs. McKay
Say me down hitch a back Hash Nither Hoilgan
Jenny go love Fire away laddie right bully for you

"My good kind Mr Irishman I have a ship or two
One is the Georgie Walker and the other is the Kangaroo
One is the Georgie Walker and the other is the Kangaroo
Both are down at Waterloo dock taking in yellow mail"

Bad luck to the Georgie Walker and the day that she set sail
Ba d luck to Mr Tab Scott and all of his yellow mail
Bad luck to the Georgie Walker for the day that she set sail
The sailors got drunk. stove open the trunks and stole all the yellow mail

Now I landed in New York a-working on the canal
To cross the sea in your packet ships I think I never shall
I go in one of the White Star line which carries both steam and sail
And there I'll get plenty to eat and drink and none of your yellow mail.