Mr Burnham is a chilling character. He is genial and well-mannered, but underneath he has a poisonous view of the world. After Zachary learns that the Ibis will be used to transport "coolies" to Mauritius, he is surprised and asks if the British haven't outlawed the slave trade? Burnham responds with: "It's sad but true that there are many who'll stop at nothing to halt the march of human freedom" (73). The march of human freedom is led by white people who civilize the lesser races. So an African is better off as a slave in the south than living in barbaric Africa. Deeti and her husband are better off working for an English corporation than living a more traditional life. The Chinese are better off beholden to the British Empire than just exporting tea and silk. This type of racism is believable obviously. During the time of this novel in the U.S. people like John Calhoun were declaring slavery a "positive good." As an Englishman Burnham's support for American slavery is a little strange. But it could be explained by the fact that American slavery helps him economically by providing a suitable ship, and the economic power of the U.S. is nowhere near that of the British Empire, so it's non-threatening.
Zachary is uncomfortable with this type of rhetoric, but he doesn't question his employer, because "it was not his place, he decided, to interrogate his employer about his business; better to concentrate on practical matters" (74). So he defers any responsibility for the violent, exploitative system he is part of. He's just a cog in the wheel, he doesn't have any power, he's just trying to scrape by in his own life, etc. This is the type of rationalization that helps people sleep at night. The system is so big that one person can't really make a difference, right?
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