asleep by the frozen sea is a phrase coined by joseph robson to describe the policy of the hudson's bay company (hbc) from its foundation in 1670 until the establishment of its first inland post in 1774. unlike the french who sent coureurs des bois inland to trade, the hbc built posts on hudson bay and waited for the indians to bring furs to them. the decision to abandon this policy and move inland gradually turned the hbc into an informal government for western canada and led ultimately to the confederation of western and eastern canada.